Punch mechanism for making pattern strips



.Yuiy 8 1924. 0 1,500,940

\ .K. HOWIE ET AL PUNCH MECHANISM FOR MAKING PATTERN s'rRIPs Filed Feb. 16. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 jnven ior: .Aehneih flawia x Mlillia 0; h ylon Jul s. 1924. 1,500,940

K. HOWIE ET AL PUNCH MECHANISM FOR MAKING PATTERN STRIPS Filed Feb. 16, 1923- 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gzo Jfenneih flawie,%

fj' Inventor: "i

Mm T" 7 Atlas.

Patented July 8, 1924.

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KENNETH HOWIE, OF NORRISTOWN, AND WILLIAM O. TAYLOR, OF LIMERIOK, PENN- SYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO WILDMAN MFG. 00., OF NORRISTOWN', PENNSYLVANIA,

A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

r, PUNCH MECHANISM non MAKING PATTERN s'rnlrs. I

Application filed February 16, 1923. Serial No. 619,415;

To all whom it may concern: J

'"Be it known that we, KENNETH Howrn and WILLIAM O. TAYLOR, citizens of, the United States, and residents of Norristown and Limerick, respectively, in the county of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania,

have invented certain new and useful Im= provements in Punch Mechanism for Making Pattern Strips, of which the following 7 is a specification.

Our invention is designed to make pattern bands for controlling operations of a machine such as a knitting machine, wherein a plurality of yarn fingerslare distributed aroundthe needle circle and feed in different colors of yarn to produce striping of the fabric.

In such a machine there may be, say, eight different yarn feeding devices at separated points about the machine, and these different yarns will be in or out of service according to the striped pattern desired. There may be only one in service, or all of the eight feeds may be in service at the same time, or any number between the maxi.- mum and minimum may be inservice, and these'may be in any desired order.

Our invention has been devised to make pattern strips, bands or sheets, which will give any one of the innumerable effects that may be desired, the yarn feeds being thrown in and out in groups or singly.

The machine 18 shown in the accompany ing drawings, in which igure l is a plan view. Fig. 2 is a side view.

Fig. 3 is a sect onal view from front to rear.

Fig. 4 is an end view.

Fig. 5 is a detail.

The machine comprises a series of punches 1, movable vertically in a guide frame 2, overlying the main base frame 3. These punches are pressed upwardly by when either one is forced down, itwwill punch an opening in the'paper strip extending over the die opening. The strip is com posed, preferably, of heavy paper 7, and

prior to its conversion into apattern band s it is providedfalongeaclr margin with a row of feed holes 7 to be engaged by the toothed feed wheels 8, fixed to, or formed in one piece, iththe sleeve '9 fixed to the shaft 9 journaled in the bearings or ears 1O ofthe mainframe. The paper strip is introduced into the machineby sliding it over the plain upper-surface of the base in the direction of the arrow and bringing its leading feed holes, one on each side, in position to be engaged by the teeth of the feed wheels when theseare turned. The strip is guided by upstanding sides 11 of the base. Movement to the strip can be imparted in two" ways, i. e., either step by step, or continuously. I

In the step by step movement,'the steps can be made of any desired length to suit the pattern desired. I

Thisfeeding mechanism comprises a ratchet wheel 12 connected with the shaft of the feed wheels so as to turn the same,'but the connection is such that the feed wheels can be rotated independently of the ratchet. The ratchet is therefore loosely mounted on the shaft of the feed wheels and it is located at the left hand side of the machine at a point outside the bearing for the feed wheel shaft. It is engaged by ,a s ring pawl 13 carried'in' a casing 14 on the finger lever 15 which is mounted to turn-0n the shaft of the feed wheel, it' lying-between the ratchet wheel andthebearing of the shaft. shaft 9 by'a spring pin 16 'enga'ging a hole 17 in the side face of'th'e ratchet. This springpin is carried *by'an arm 18 fixed to the feed wheel shaft outside the ratchet wheel, The spring pin has a finger button 16 by which it can be retracted to free it from the ratchet, whereupon the arm and shaft maybe turned toturn the feed wheels for advancing the strip through the machine continuously, as may be desired. f

When the strip is advanced by the pawl and ratchet mechanism, step by step, by working the finger lever back and forth, the

length of the. step movejrnent maybe'long The ratchet wheel is attached to the V 'or any desired number of ratchet teeth.

During this movement of the lever, the ratchet Wheel will be held bythe detent 21.

Having counted air the number of spaces" that he desires to advance the paper sheet, by moving the finger lever back over' the desired number of ratchet teeth, the operator will draw the finger lever towards himself at the front of the machine until it reaches normal position against the "stop. .The ratchet wheel will, therefore, turn and advance. the paper to itsnew position, and here it will rest while it is being punched. It may be punched b'yeither one, all, or any intermediate number of punches, by depressing the desired ones of the punch levers 4. There are nine of these shown, one markedC, standing for the counter which controls the operation of mechanism which counts the number of articles produced by the machine, and the others are ,numbered from 1. to 8, corresponding to the number offeeds on the machine. If only the 1 key is depressed whilethe strip is standing in the position to which it has just been moved, there willbe onl'y one opening in the completed strip on this imaginary line extending acrossthe strip, and hence the pattern strip, when, placed in the knitting machine, will make "a change only" at the one feed, all the otherseven feedsremaining as they were. If the operator, however, had pressed down another key; .or. keys, additional to that numbered 1, while the paperstrip is standing at rest in the position to which it has justbeen moved,- these other openings will be madein the strip in line across the same and with the hole first punched in this line, so that when the strip isused as apattern band in the knitting machine, changes will take place at all of those feeds corresponding to the position across the strip at which said holes .are punched, and if eightholes are punched,

is then; used as a handle to turn othearm 18 and shaft 9 with the wheels 8 to feed the stripas'niay be desired. In this continuous aefiidn; t e alt ;.1eet..irll e w ll: r n tetionary. The paper strip is kept in feeding contact with'the feed wheel '8 by a guide plate20, Fig." 3.' This is pressed by leaf springs 20 attached to the lower side of the frame at 20". The plate 20 is slotted at 22, Fig. 5, .for the passage-of the teeth of the Wheels 8 I I The finger levers t are held up in normal positionbythe spring-pins 1 and are lined up against the cross bar 23.

The sle' ve'ii'," addition to having the toothed wheels 8 thereon, has an untoothed wheel 8 to engage theicentral part of the strip and perform a feeding" action at this point, in connection with the spring presser plate. p

\ At therearv of the machine a cutting knife 24 is pivoted at 25 to out the paper strip transversely, to the desired length, inf forin ing the pattern band. This knife. blade is pivoted to the fixed blade member 24* which is screwed to the rear crossbar of themai'n' "frame. I A guide comb for th elfingerlev'ers is shown at 26. 7 I g r The base frame .is open from side to side where the feed wheels are located, and the spring pi esser plate extends from sidetn side to afford a bearing for the paperfstrip. What we claim is 1. In combination in a machine for punchmg strips for use as pattern bands,,a series of punches arranged in line transversely across the path of the strip, a guide for the strip, finger levers pivotallylmounted, spring plungers operated by the finger levers, and feed means for the strip, comprisingto'othed members to engage openings along the margins of the strip, and means for operating said feed members manually and independent of the operation of the finger levers, e ther step st p, or continuously, sub'stantially as'described.

2. In combination in a machine for punching strips for use as attern bands, a series of punches arranger in line tra'n si ersely across the path of the strip, a guide for the strip, finger levers pivot-ally mounted, spring plungers operated by the finger levers, and feed means forthe strip, comprising teothed members to engage openings along the margins of the strip, and means for operating said teed members manually, either step by step, or continuously, said means comprising a ratchet wheel, a finger lever carrying a pawl, a stop for hnn'ting" the forward movement of the finger lever, anu crank arm forming a connection between the ratchet Wheel and the rotary feed'meinbers, said crank arm having a detacliableconn'ection with th'e'ratchet wheel, substantially as described. I

3. In combination ina punching machine, a base" having a guide way for the paper strip to be punched, a row of spring punches arranged across said guide way, a frame member extending above and across said uide way in which the punches are guided, finger levers pivoted to said cross frame member and extending over the spring punches, means for limiting the upper position of the levers, and hand operated feed means for the paper strip, substantially as described.

4. In combination, a base, punch mecha nism including punches and finger levers, a feed wheel in rear of the punch mechanism for advancing the paper strip, a ratchet wheel connected with the feed wheel, a finger lever carrying a pawl engaging the ratchet wheel, a stop for arresting the finger lever on its feeding stroke, said finger lever being free to be mo-vediback over the ratchet wheel to advance the same through varying degrees of angular movement in coming'to the stop, and a detent for holding the feed wheel against retrograde movement, substantially as described.

5. In combination with punch mechanism, a feed wheel for advancing the paper strip to be punched, a ratchet wheel, means for connecting the ratchet wheel with and disconnecting it from the shaft of the feed wheel and for rotating the feed wheel continuously when so disconnected, and a finger lever and pawl for giving the feed wheel a step by step movement, substantially as described.

6. In combination, a base having guides for the paper strip, a punch carrying bar extending above and across the base, punches mounted therein, finger levers pivoted on the punch carrying bar at the rear of the punches and reaching forward beyond the same and bearing thereon, rotary toothed feed means in rear of the punches,

and above the base and arranged over them, and a presser plate connected to the underside of the base and spring pressed upe wardly to hold the paper strip in contact with the lower part of the toothed feed means, substantially as described.

7. In combination, a frame having a guide way for a paper strip, and having an opening within the guide way, feed means comprising a toothed wheel at each side of the guide way, having its teeth exposed at said opening, a presser plate on the under side of the frame to engage the paper strip through said opening and press it against the toothed wheel, said plate having slots for the passage of the teeth, and punch mechanism arranged over the base, substantially as described.

8. In combination, a frame having a guide way for a paper strip, and having an openingwithin the guide way, feed means comprising a toothed wheel at each'side of the guide way, having its teeth exposed at said opening, a presser plate on the under side of the frame to engage the paper strip through said opening and press it against the toothed wheel, said feed means also comprising a plain periphery wheel moving in unison with the toothed wheels and engaging the central part of the paper strip, the said presser plate holding the paper strip against the plain wheel, and punch mechanism arranged over the base, substantially as described.

.' 9. In combination, a base frame having sideguides for a paper strip, punch mechanism, paper feed mechanism comprising feed wheels on a sleeve, a shaft carrying said sleeve and mounted in bearings at the sides of the frame, a finger lever mounted loosely on an extension of said shaft outside said bearing, a ratchet wheel also loosely mounted on said shaft extension, a crank arm mounted on said shaft extension and fixed thereto, and having a detachable connection with the ratchet wheel, a pawl carried by thefinger lever engaging the ratchet wheel, and a detent engaging the ratchet wheel, substantially as described.

10. In combination with punch mechanism, a feed wheel for advancing the paper strip to be punched, a ratchet-wheel, afinger lever having a pawl to engage the ratch- I et, said finger lever being movable todifi'erent degrees for advancing the said ratchet KENNETH HOWIE. WILLIAM O. TAYLOR. 

